I've just been reading about adeniuns. Apparerntly, a couple of them are fragrant. Seeds or plants for the fragrant ones are particularly expensive according to those who've researched it. It appears they are very drought-tolerant so they might be worth checking out.
katiebear
Fragrant Xeriscape plants...
Mmmmm Marsinger ~ your gardens sound like they smell good! I will have more plants to research. The roses sound delightful but I despise thorns so resist that temptation. Is your soil really well improved to retain moisture?
Katiebear ~ it seems I've passed over them in reading. I will have to read up on the Adeniums. In fact I've recently passed them by in the greenhouses too. Thank you.
In the fall I am going to try some of this stuff. Too hot to plant now here.
Hellnzn ~ tell me which ones you want to try?
Podster-
Its not so much the soil, though I do add SoilMoist crystals every other year. The first few years I had the garden, I planted callirhoe involucrata (poppy mallow), which is a fabulous, basically everblooming, basically evergreen, drought tolerant, full sun tolerant, ground cover. I dug it up last year, but originally I planted it so that the roots could work through the soil to aerate and improve it. I don't know about Texas, but here the ground is primarily red clay, so the soil can be crappy. I mulch with bark chips, which usually break down completely every three seasons, and I use a very thick layer (2 inches or so) in the late spring, and add another inch when summer hits. I work in a full bag of mushroom compost every fall (one bag takes care of a 15x3 section), and use it to fill any holes.....I replaced the poppy mallow with oregano 'Kent Beauty' this year, and I am thrilled with it. I also added artemisia 'Silver Brocade', because not only do I garden for fragrance, and xeriscape, but I garden for moonlight, so I try to pick plants that are highly fragrant at night and/or are silver or white in color.....But back to the soil, I think the groundcovers do more than anything to improve the moisture retaining properties of the soil....I haven't tried adenium, but it sounds like its worth checking out!
There is so much good information on this thread. I really appreciate all the input. I need to research thru the plant suggestions thoroughly and digest the information on preparing the clay from Marsinger... that will be invaluable information for me. Thanks much!
Someone posted a site where they sell vetiver grass. I think it's called The Herb Cottage. Check it out. It might do the job on your clay soil and it has a wonderful smell.
katiebear
Pod Mint, lemon catnip, lemon balm. Those would be a great start to try. Do you have Greek Oregano?
I have that Calirhoe and love it. It is in soil that has recompacted some, but still doing alright and blooming. I don't understand why you took yours out Marsinger. I did not get that. It is drought tolerant.
I need to try some more potted things that can handle drought. My gophers are going to be the death of me.
I took out the callirhoe because I didn't love it. It's a lovely plant, the blooms are so cute and pretty and you couldn't ask for something more tolerant of crappy conditions. I used it to help fix the soil, but since I was designing a moon garden, it didn't really fit in, and it wasn't giving me the style I was looking for. I replaced it with artemisia and oregano.
I was just reading on the callirhoe and think I need to try some. I see it is also availabe in a white?
Hellnzn ~ yes on the Greek oregano which is easy to start from seed. I have a few volunteers from the lemon balm and although they look scrappy, I will try to dig one up (we are very dry) if you are interested?
Off to do some more reading on y'alls suggestions. thx ~ pod
I absolutely am interested. Thanks. I have that Callirhoe because it was sent to me from someone here from a plug in Oregon. It is so cute and I want more of it. It is in a sucky spot and could spread more I am sure if it had more water, which I will remedy soon. It even kind of loosely climbs up some of my other taller plants.
double pink oleanders and thevetia have wonderful fragrance. If you can give part shade, then arabian jasmine and angelwing jasmine will do well in xeriscape.
photo is variegated double pink oleander
How interesting. I did not realize Oleanders had a fragrance at all. I will have to look closer at them ~ thank you.
Some oleanders have fragrance but some don't so make sure you smell before you buy! LOL I had several different ones at my old house and never noticed a fragrance with any of them.
Thanks ~ that must be why I never realized it.
yes. some single petal varieties also have slight fragrance. I always smell before I buy them. Double pink I think consistently has talcum powder fragrance. Comes in variegated variety as well.
Pyrocantha flowers smell like heaven in bloom.
Now I don't recall that, nor do I remember what the Pyracantha blooms look like. If I do remember, seems they had thorns and I passionately avoid any plants with stickers. Perhaps that is why I don't remember the fragrance ~ lol
LOL They have red berries in the fall and early spring/late winter, or reverse, they get smothered with small lacy white fragrant flowers and are evergreen to boot. Not to mention that they use almost no water once established with good drainage.
No way!!! I am resisting your sales pitch!
They do have thorns don't they? My memory isn't that far gone.
They are thorny as roses.
I did not know that pyracantha flowers have fragrance. Howabout cotoneasters? Do they have fragrance too?
Now that is one I will have to research. Not familiar with it at all.
Interesting... apparently most types of cotoneaster are fragrant. It is also listed as an outstanding shrub for most of Texas. I always wonder why I don't see some of these plants for sale around here.
I see they grow here too however it said they must be kept in well drained soil and kept moist for the first year to 2 and then are drought tolerant.
Did you see if it has any thorns??? lol
Hi,
pyracanthas = cotoneasters + thorns.
Grrrr!!!
They look and are similar. They can be groundcovers, or prostrate shrubs, espaliers, clipped hedges. It is not like you have to have a forest of them that you will be scratched up in, is it Pod? Plus I like the color it adds in an otherwise dead looking dormant landscape. Different color choices in berries too. Not convinced? So you don't do roses I take it?
No way on the roses.... same logic on the thorns. I love succulents but no cacti either. The closest I have come to thorns ( and I grumble ) is a friend gave me a Crown of Thorns. I occasionally get spiked by them.
I am in an area that has deciduous trees and can imagine all the leaves in TX getting stuck in these shrubs of thorns. I'd want to clean them out. It will be easier to just avoid them. Besides, if it is fragrant, I'd want to put my face down to the blooms ~ Yeowch! I am a touchy feely plant person.
We had a big giant gopher snake yesterday. Not fun in xeriscape landscaping, it spreads and covers.
Ugh! Speaking of sharp things ~ snake fangs.
Cotoneasters are great plants (and no thorns). Many are xeric, though not all. I think the biggest reason they don't sell is that they aren't pretty enough for most people. I considered them several years ago, but the Mrs said no due to their lack of perceived beauty. They do tend to look like a bad hair day.
kateintuscon ~ do you have any seeds or seedlings of the Texas Mountain laurel? I think it might do well here, as it is hot all summer.
Dawn ~ Good to see you here...my hubby usually kills at least one rattlesnake a year. So far, I have not had to do the deed.
The deer eat my pyracantha so I gave my beautiful 'Cherry Berry' to a neighbor that has a fence around her garden. I have a small enclosed garden, but no room for the pyacantha.
I just got my tomatoes planted last week, as before it was too cold, and hopefully they can get up to size before the extreme heat settles in. Now I did plant my cool-weather veggies late, so hopefully they won't be ruined by the heat.
In this picture the foregound plant is Teucrium marum - Cat Thyme, though not a true thyme it has the properties of a thyme as it is quite drought tolerant and looks nice all year, but it does only bloom in late spring.
Pretty Ev. lol bad hair day.
Evelyn- Contact me for seeds for Texas Mountain Laurel. It's almost TOO fragrant when in bloom, and tough as nails. The seeds are toxic and I suspect critters leave it alone. A gorgeous desert plant.
I had one but one year I over watered it. It died last year. I am so mad since it grew slow as all get out.
I have a 5 yr old, 6" tall Texas Mountain Laurel. Too slow for me. I'll never live to see a tree!
They are such a pretty bloomer. I wonder how old they have to be before they bear blooms? Anyone know?
I love it when this thread revives. I read through it again and go off looking at the different plant suggestions.
As it is an older thread, I count the plants that I have tried and failed with, the ones that are successful and the DG friends that have moved on.
Bittersweet for sure...
Me too.
8 ))